Process of separating incombustible materials having different melting temperatures.



PATENTED MAR 31, 1908.

' M. LBITCH.

PROCESS 0F SEPARATING INGOMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS HAVING DIFFERENT MELTINGTEMPERATURES.

APPLICATION TILED SEPT.28.1904.

uniinnsirntrgs PAEENT onnron.

MEREDITH LEITCl-I, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, Br' MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO

METAL PROCESS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PBOCESS OF SEP A RATING INCOMBUS'IIBLE MATERIALS'HAVIK DIFFEREiiITMELTING- TEMPERATURE S,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 31, 1908.

' Original application filed April 2, 1904, Serial No. 201,230. Dividedand this application filed September 28, 190%.

- Serial No. 228,305.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lilEiiEDITi-i Lnrron, a citizen of the United.States, residing at Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State ofNew York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Process ofSeparating lncomhustible Materials of Different Melting Temperatures,of. which the following is a full, clear, and exact (.lescriptionrseparating solder from old tin. pens and the like.

Heretot'ore atten s have hceummlc to separate materials of thesesorts'by the simple heating of the umss to a degreesu'lliciently high tomelt the incombustiblc material of low melting tmpcmturc and permit suchmelted moterial to llow from the incombustiblc material of high meltingtemperw ture under the action of gravity. in carrying out that process,however, it has been found that the action of gravity is by no meanssu'llicient to reuse the melted material to how from the unmeltednmterial, the result being that it great deal of'the melted materieladheres to the material of high melting temperature in the form of dropsor globules and therefore fails to be separated. therefrom. Moreover,the process referred to is not a continuous process, but onein whichseparate charges are treat-ted one at s time. Among the objcctsofnlyinvention to produce a. continuous process which can he carried outwithout interruption for long periods of time.

Another object is to preventthe materials from being oxidized. Anotheris to secure practically o. con'iplete separation of the two materials.

My. invention is applicable not only to sepereting solder from tinkmns'but also for separating native metals from their ores and other simileruses. s

Although in cm yinp; out my invention other separating Forces msy bereliedion, I

that may. he used to carry out myinvention,

reference being had to the accompanying drewlngs, in which Figure 1 1sa. vertical section of my opp ref tus, and Fig. 2 is a. horizontalSCCtiOILOIl. the

line ac- :r, Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drewings, A represents aninclosing-well provided with a gutter B end it spent (3, the gutterhaving a trap B formed at the spout for pre:

venting the egress of products of combustion when filled with moltenmetal. Within the chamber formed by the wall it a revolving bi sket orcentrilngei separator l), preferably of steel, mounted upon the shaft Ewhich is supported by bearings F F and is driven by the pulley G. Thisbasket D provided with perforations a in its sides for the purposehereinafter described. .The beerings FF are cf'eny well-known typesuitable for use in cormoction withe vertical heated shaft.

Within the basket l) extends e hopper 'H preferably conical in form asshown. This hopper forms a. cover for the chamber formed by the wnllA,being supported by the ripper edge of said well, so as to seal the upperpart of the chemher. The hopper is provided with ribs 1 which cosrt withteeth J on the revolving sleeve Sllll01111(llill{ the shaft iii in such9. way as to assist in to cing the material plecedwithin the hopperdownwnrd within the basket D. The upper part of the chsn1- ber formed bythe well A and the hopperll is provided with an outlet K, the lower endof which dips into the tank of water ll, so as to be sealed thereby.-The upper edge of the basket D is provided. with a horizontal 'l'le-ngeD which extends over a horizontal flange D'cerried by the well A, so asto substantielly prevent mot'ter, rising above the edge of the basket,from passing between the 11 right well of the basket I) and the well A.ipe M extends through the well A and into the basket l) where it isprovided with orifices m. 'lhrough' this pipe is sir plied a n'iixtureof gas and. eir from pipes bl and O, said pipes beingprovided withvalves n end-0 for controlling the supply of gets and air in such a. weythat the proportionssheli ing the basket T" ty meansol power applied topulley the gas and air mixture being supplied and ignited so as to raisethe term perature within the iurnaceto thatrequired for melting theincombustible material of low melting temperature but not high as thatrequired iormelting thefincombustible material 1 ighfmeltingtemperature. The revolution of the basket, together with the sleeveconnected theretobearing the pins J, feeds the material placed in thehopper downward into the basket where it is subjected to the action ofheat and centrifugal force with the result that as soon as the materialof low melting temperature is melted, it is thrown oil by centrifugalforce through the 1 erforations (1 in the sides of the basket. T 'smolten material ialls'into the trough B and is carried thereby to thespout C from which it discharges into the crucible or mold P m5- videdfor its reception. The matter w ich is fed into the hopper ll beingressed down the ingress ward crowds the lncombustib. e material of highmelting temperature which is in the basket D u ward until it passesabove the flange D, at which time the centrifugal force throws itoutward'to the ezrit Kprovided for that purpose by which it is conductedinto the tans 11. As before stated, the tank L and the trap B act toprevent the exit of products of combustion through either of theseorifices.

lhe products of combustion due to the burn-- ing of the gas and airmixture Within the furnace can iind exit only through the opening inhopperll and in passin out through the hopper constitute a gas sea. andprevent of air at that oint. The atmosphere-Within the furnaceistherefore entirely deoxidized and no oxidation of the material treatedtakes olace Within the furnace. This sealing of openings for feeding thefurnace and for removing such material as is removed during thecontinuous operation is of great importance Where there 18 danger ofloss bein incurred by oxidation and constitutes a vauabls feature of myinvention apart from the particular separating means described.

by process permits'of various modifications such as would; so gestthemselves to those skilled in the art, us the heat ma" be generated inother Ways than. that dcscri ed,

and force other than centrifugal force may be relied upon as theseparating force, and moreover deozridized atmosphere is not neces saryin treating materials which are not subjcct to oxidation.

l have not shown means for continuously l v leading material to hopperl-l or continuously removing the material from the tank L, since anysuitable means known to the art can be used for those purposes.

In separatin solder from tin cans by my process not on y are the heatedsolder and steel kept from oxidizing, but What is more im ortant thethin coating of tin upon the steel is kept from oxidizing. .If theheated atmosphere were not deoxidizcd, the tin coating would becompletely oxidized and destroyed so far as its subsequent recovery .isconcerned.

and shown is claimed in a ending application, Serial No. 201,230, ratedApril 2nd, 1904, Patent Number 800,222, dated Sep tember 26, 1905,of'which this application is a division.

What I claim is z- 1. The improvement in the process of separating amaterial of low'mclting tempera ture from a material of high r meltingtemperature, one of which at least is oxidizablc, which consists infirst producing by combustion a deoxidized atmosphere artificiallyheated by said "ombustion toa temperature at least equal the low meltingtemperature and. then subjecting the materials to bc iug said materialof high melting temperature to a substantially non-oxidizing temperatureprior to exposure to the air. I 7

2. The im rovcd process of separating an erature from an incombustiblcmaterial of lligh melting temperature, one of Which materials at leastis oxidizablc and both of which are solid at normal temperature, whichconsists in producing by combustion a deox'idized atmosphereartificially heated by said combustion to a temperature at least equalto the low melting temperature but less than the high meltingtemperature, subjecting the materials to said atmosphere andthereby'reducingone of said materials to a molten condition andsimultaneously also subjecting them to an artificial mechanicalseparating force and then cooling said material of high meltingtemperature to a substantially non-oxidizing temperature prior toexposure to'the air.

3. combustible materials of low melting tomerature from incombustiblematerials of 'gh melting temperature, one of which main roducing adeoxidizcd atmosphere artificia 1y raised to atemperature at least c ualto the lOW melting temperature, but less t an the high meltingtemperature, continuously passing the materials through said atmosphere,and meanwhilerapidly revolving said materials so as to subject them tocentrifugal force, and. separately collecting the materials thus thrownoil.

treated to said atmosphere and then 0001-.

incombustib ematerial of low melting tcm-' Ihe improved process ofseparating iu- 'terials, at least, is oxidizable, which consists 'Theapparatus described but not claimed 4. The improved process ofseparating incombustible materials of low melting ternierature fromincombustible materials of liigh melting temperature, of which at leastone is oxidizable, which consists in continu ously feeding suchmaterials into a deoxidizod atmosphere, artificially heated to atemperature at least equal to the low melting temperature, hut less thanthe high melt ing temperature, and while in this atmospherc acting uponthem by a mechanical separating lorcc, collecting the materials of lowmelting tmnperature at one point, and

discharging the materials of high melting= tci'nperature but less thanthe high. melting temperature. meanwhile acting upon said materials by amechanical separating force, and collecting the melted materialseparated thereby at one point and continuously discharging the unmeltedmaterial at another point, and causing the croducts of combustion topass through tlie orifice Where the material is supplied. and therebywhen the apparatus is in operation sealing said orifice so as to preventt is entrance of air.

6. The improved process of separating incombustible materials of lowmeltin temperature from incornbustible materials of igh melting temerature Whichconsists in continuously feering said materials into adeoxidized atmosphere produced by combustion and artificially heated bysaid combustion to a temperature at least e ual to the low meltingtemperature, and W iile in this atmosphere acting upon them by amechanic separating force, collecting said low melting material at onepoint and continuously discharging said high melting material at anotherpoint and cooling said material of high melting temperature to asubstantially noneoxidizmg temperature prior to exposure to an oxidizingmedium.

7 i The improved process of separating incombustible materials of lowmelting temerature from incomhustible materials of igh melting ternerature which consists in continuously feering sai'd. materials into adeoxidized atmos )here having a temperature at least equal to the lowmelting temperature and while in this atmosphere acting upon them by aseparating force, collecting said lOW melting material at one point anddischarging said material of high melting temperature at another pointand subjecting the same to a cooling hath. prior to exposure to the air.

Signed at New York, N. 1 this 27th day of September, 1904.

MEREDITH LElTCH. "Witnesses:

H. M. SKINNER, L. VREELAND.

